Yonder world, most enlightened one, is the fire;
humans the fuel, our wants the smoke,
our deeds great and small the flame,
our histories the coals, our dreams sparks,
our bond with the world, the altar
In this fire, the world offers her hopes.
Out of that offering, two days emerge.
The first day of sacrifice
your day, most enlightened one, is the fire;
your deeds the fuel, your awakening sigh the smoke,
the glint of your knives and scissors the flame,
your home the coals, brooms and hands sparks,
a common garbage bin, the altar.
In this fire, your hands offer the unsegregated waste.
Out of that offering, the garbage mound emerges.
The garbage mound outside the city, most enlightened one, is the fire;
your unsegregated waste the fuel, your carelessness the smoke,
your selfishness and ignorance the flame,
the disease of the oppressed coals, their woes the sparks,
the flowing river, the altar.
In this fire, your city offers half-rotten waste.
Out of that offering, pollution emerges.
The emerged pollution, most enlightened one, is the fire;
the flowing river the fuel, your fields the smoke,
the seeping soil the flame,
the sprouting seeds the coals, flowers and fruits sparks,
the supermarkets, the altar.
In this fire, your world offers polluted water.
Out of that offering, poison emerges.
The poison, most enlightened one, is the fire;
your greedy hungry stomachs the fuel, your breath of desire the smoke,
the bile of your soul the flame,
your oozing saliva the coals, your chewing teeth sparks,
your cavernous mouth, the altar.
In this fire, your hands offer food.
Out of that offering, death and disease emerge.
Death and disease, most enlightened one, pursue you
beyond life and death
plaguing your undying soul and
that of your children
with stings of guilt and pain.
The second day of sacrifice
Your day, most enlightened one, is the fire;
your deeds the fuel, your awakening sigh the smoke,
the glint of your knives and scissors the flame,
your home the coals, brooms and hands sparks,
garbage bins, altars.
In this fire, your hands offer the unsegregated waste.
Out of that offering, mindfulness emerges.
Mindfulness, verily, most enlightened one, is the fire;
the humid air the fuel, the buzzing of soldier flies smoke,
the rayless glow of compost the flame,
half-composted waste the coals, the day’s heat sparks,
compost pots, altars
In this fire, your hands offer wet waste.
Out of that offering, black nectar arises.
Mindfulness, verily, most enlightened one, is the fire;
the sweat of the garbage collector the fuel, the rumble of the vehicle the smoke,
your word of thanks for their labour the flame
the dry and reject waste the coals, the offering of water to their thirsty mouths sparks
recycling bins, altars
In this fire, our hands offer wet waste.
Out of that offering, livelihoods arise.
Mindfulness, verily, most enlightened one, is the fire;
your senses the fuel, your insignificance the fuel,
your refusal to slaughter for pleasure the flame,
your discipline the coals, the absence of meat, silk, dairy, and leather the sparks,
your beating heart, altar
In this fire, you offer again and again your love.
Out of that offering, the immortal striving for justice, peace, and beauty arises.
Those who know this and those too
who meditate with faith in the forest of learning,
pass into light, from light into the day,
from day into the half-month of the waxing moon,
from the waxing moon into the half year of the sun’s northward journey,
from months into the world of forests, wetlands, deserts, and oceans
from the world of forests, wetlands, deserts, and oceans to the sun,
from sun into the lightning and rains.
Then a beast born of this soil
goes to those regions of lightning and rains
and leads them into this very earth.
In this very earth, they become food for
rats, worms, hawks, crows, and all that need food
and live forever as consumed nectar.
***
Madras Courier originally ran as a broadsheet with a poetry section. It was a time when readers felt comfortable sharing glimpses of their lives through verse. If you have a poem you’d like to submit, do email us at [email protected].
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